A Gentle Note About Saturdays

For the woman who is carrying more than anyone can see.

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Dear friend,

I want to tell you something plainly, the way I would if you were sitting across from me with a cup of coffee.

My mother is back in the hospital. Because of that, I did not send a letter last Saturday, and I am not going to promise you one this Saturday either.

For a long time I have held myself to a weekly rhythm. You have been so faithful to open these letters, and I have loved showing up for you. But I have learned something in this season. A promise I make to you out of pressure is not a gift. It is a weight. And you deserve letters that come from a full heart, not an empty tank.

So here is the change. The Saturday letters are not going away. They will simply arrive when I have something true to say and the space to say it well. Some weeks that may be every Saturday. Some weeks it may be a quiet note like this one. Either way, you will hear from me.

If you are in a season like mine, with a hospital hallway, a hard phone call, or a list that never gets shorter, I want you to hear this from your sister in the rebuild: you are allowed to loosen your grip on what you think you must do. Rest is not failure. A pause is not a punishment. God is not waiting at the end of your to do list to see if you finished it.

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Do not let pressure write your schedule. It is a terrible author.

Let grace set the pace.

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"Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Matthew 11:28

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If you would like to do something while you wait for the next letter, pick one thing you have been doing out of pressure and give yourself permission to do it more slowly this week. Just one.

And if you think of my mother and our family, I would be grateful for your prayers. They carry me more than you know.

Thank you for the grace you give me. I am grateful to walk through the beautiful and the hard parts of life with you.

Walking with you,

Your sister in the rebuild,

Kimberly